Thirteen-year-old Lena finds a hidden door in an ancient oak and steps into a strange world where every path asks a question.
Lena had grown up with the Emerald Forest at her back door, and still it never behaved like an ordinary wood. Its trees seemed to lean closer when she walked by. Its wind carried scraps of half-heard songs. Sometimes, if she stood very still, she could almost make out words slipping through the leaves.
That afternoon, with sunlight pooling gold between the branches, Lena stopped short in a clearing she knew well. An enormous oak stood in the centre, older and broader than any tree around it. Green runes glimmered along its bark. Right in the middle of the trunk was a door.
It was small, low to the ground, and carved with silver leaves that caught the light like tiny knives. Lena stared at it, her pulse thudding hard in her ears. She had never seen it before. She was still reaching out when a hand landed lightly on her shoulder.
She spun around. A boy her age stood behind her, with wild red hair, a grin that looked almost too knowing, and bright eyes that missed nothing. "I'm Kaj," he said. "And if you're looking at that door, it means the forest has noticed you."
Lena frowned. "What is it?"
Kaj's grin faded into something more serious. "A way in. And a way out, if we're lucky."
Before she could ask what he meant, he pressed his palm against the carved wood. Lena did the same. The runes flared green. Something inside the oak clicked, deep and hollow, and the door swung open with a breath of cold air.
Beyond it was no ordinary forest. A narrow path of blue stones stretched into a shimmer of violet brush and silver mist. Strange laughter drifted through the air, far away and close at once. Lena stepped forward before she could stop herself, and Kaj followed.
The door shut behind them with a soft thud.
Kaj glanced at her, all trace of his grin gone. "Now we have to solve the forest spirit's riddle," he said. "And if we get it wrong, we may not find our way back."
Something rustled in the purple scrub ahead. Leaves stirred without any wind. Then a figure emerged from the shadows, cloaked in living branches, an old leather book cradled in its hands. Its eyes glowed like twin lanterns.
It opened the book. The pages turned themselves.
"Whoever seeks the truth," it whispered, "must answer my question..."